Garbage out, health in

Garbage out, health in


Faiza haneef
First Published : 09 Jan 2009 04:35:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 09 Jan 2009 11:04:00 AM IST

BANGALORE: Seems like finally the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s health officials can apply themselves full-time to public health programmes.

The BBMP authorities decision to relieve health officials of the responsibility of solid waste management (SWM) is being greeted with a sigh of relief.

“National health programmes like HIV/ AIDS prevention and care, blindness control, TB and Malaria control, Leprosy eradication, family welfare services, school health and immunisation programmes which were ignored till date can be taken up on priority now,” said an official, expressing the general sentiment among his colleagues.

The BBmP is in the process of setting up an environmental engineering cell to take care of SWMand other waste disposal issues. Garbage collection management and disposal issues which demanded the time and attention of the health officials - especially the medical officers of health at the ward-level, will now be the responsibility of environmental engineers. Speaking to The express, a senior health official said: “Most of our time was spent on tracking garbage disposal. There was hardly any time to concentrate on health programmes,” and added that of the 20-odd National Health Programmes, they have been able to do justice to only four to five programmes till date.

“Now we can apply ourselves to tackling trade licensing and food adulteration issues and also strengthen BBMP’s maternity homes and dispensaries,” he said. Administration of general medical services can be improved now, he observed.

BBmP has 30 medical Officers of Health (moH) in its core area and 10 in the newly-added zones.

“All the other municipal corporations have a separate department of solid waste management and it was only here that health officials managing waste collection and disposal issues,” said BBmP health official.

Palike collects over 4,000 tonnes of garbage almost every day. It currently has six environmental engineers on its rolls. A few more will be recruited soon to take care of the new responsibility. The entire process should be in place in about a month’s time, said a well-placed official.